Carpet Capital and Culture Clash

Carpet Capital Culture Clash

Introduction

This research paper aims at identifying the issues faced by U.S companies who hire a large percentage of immigrant Latino workers. The research will also examine the interaction between the immigrants Latino workers and the original Anglo workforce. There are several cultural misunderstandings in this case study between Anglo and Latino workforce.

Migration trends

In the past, a small number of Latino immigrants were fluent in English as compared to other foreign immigrants. This is because the Latinos adults had a low level of education compared to the native- and overall foreign-born populations. Hence, many Latinos participated in the labor force compared to the native-born and overall foreign-born populations. On average, Latinos have the lowest income. However, in recent years, the number of educated Mexican workers in the United States has grown substantially. There has been a rise in the rate of Mexican workers in the United States who have studied at the university level.

Cultural misunderstandings in the Case study

The use of the restroom is one of the cultural challenges that the company is facing. Other employees are complaining of soiled toilet paper scattered all over the bathroom floor. In Latin American countries and also Mexico, the sewage lines are not properly structured than U.S standards. There is also no sufficient supply of water in the buildings. Hence, many of them experience clogging of the toilet. As a result, the Latinos are trained from an early age to dispose of used tissue into a provided basket. The company should ensure that the Latinos are informed that the toilets have plenty of horsepowers to flush away anything (Spillan, Virzi, & Garita, 2014). 

There has also been a challenge concerning the banking system. The Mexican banking system is quite different as compared to the American banking system. Due to the history of corruption in Mexico, Latinos distrust banking systems and prefer keeping their money at home. Furthermore, many Mexican immigrants are in the U.S illegally who have to lack identification documents such as Social Security numbers. As a result, they cannot open a bank account in the U.S as they fear being exposed and deported back to their country. As an employer, helping the employees’ wire money to their families will be a sign of support (Davila, 2005).

In the case study, Latino employees take leave without notice, and they do not respect the work schedule. Latinos handle the workplace as a second family. This is opposed to the Anglos, who tend to separate work and family life. Mexicans are overly friendly, hence taking time for personal interaction will make them more trusting and loyal to the employer. It will also change their perception that Anglos are cold and unfriendly. Mexicans may take correction and criticism personally, especially if it is done in other people’s presence. Correction should be done with the utmost respect, in private and not in a harsh tone (Spillan, Virzi, & Garita, 2014). 

Although Sam hired bi-lingual employees to help with translation, it was not effective. The first reason it did not work was that the employees were only fluent in Spanish and English. Some idiomatic expressions and terminology vary from one nationality to another; hence, it is important to translate materials that the Spanish employees and Mexican employees will understand. The second reason is the way of communication. The employer used Anglo American employees to do the translation. The two groups have different cultures in how they communicate. Anglos will be very formal and use communication to pass on the message, while the Latinos use communication to network and build relationships. Consequently, they may not pay much attention to the translators (Davila, 2005).

Tommy promoted a Latino employee (Jose) as the manager. Unfortunately, Jose could not effectively communicate with the other employees and was dissatisfied with the promotion. It is a challenge to promote a Latino to a management or leadership position. They prefer harmony, loyalty, and trust with their family/group; a promotion would challenge that. Latinos expect a manager to be friendly when speaking to them, shake their hand or touch their shoulders to show appreciation. Hence, placing a Latino as manager will be a challenge as the manager will not confront the rest of the group because of their friendship (Spillan, Virzi, & Garita, 2014). 

Latinos are still largely patriarchal, so having a Hispanic female supervisor may not be such a good idea. Employers may find Hispanic women’s’ work experience very limited as most of them have a primary responsibility of taking care of their families. Hence, there is a possibility of periodic absence and higher turnover rates than those of the men. Furthermore, Latino men may not be willing to work under the supervision of a female. They consider this inappropriate. There may be an increase in flirtatious behaviors as in Hispanic culture, men being sexually suggestive is common and often an accepted behavior (Davila, 2005).

Ethical dilemmas that exist in the organization

· Gender biases

All employees should be treated equally, which means they have equal rights to workplace opportunities. However, in this case, employees are differentiated based on gender. The female workers are not given the same opportunities as their male counterparts. However, it is only proper for the employer to hire a male supervisor for the company to achieve its goals.

· Favoritism

An employer should promote professionalism in the workplace. Discrimination and favoritism can lower morale from the employees who perceive favoritism in how the employer treats them. However, when working with Latinos, an employer has to develop a friendly relationship even beyond the workplace to be effective at work. The Anglos may view this as favoritism since they may not be treated the same way.

Legal dilemmas that exist in the organization

· Undocumented workers

Employers prefer working with Latino immigrants as they provide cheap labor. Undocumented workers receive a significantly lower wage and benefits as compared to legal workers. Hence, employers take a risk in hiring them. The reason the Mexican employees avoid using bank accounts may be because they are undocumented employees. Hence, the employer faces a dilemma of retaining them as they provide cheap labor or report to the authorities. Anyone who knowingly or negligently hires illegal immigrants could be charged in a civil or criminal court. One will also be charged if they discover that the employee is an undocumented immigrant and allow them to continue with their employment.

Programs to effectively deal with the various situations presented

· Cultural Awareness Training Program

Creating cultural awareness among the Anglos will be good for the company as it will foster a good working relationship between the Latino and Anglo employees. This training will allow the Anglos to understand the Latinos better. It will make the employees feel comfortable, confident, and understanding towards the Latino culture. Every Anglo employee will have to go through this training, and it will run for six months from the first day of employment (Brislin, 2008).

· Cultural Diversity Training Program

This training will focus on inclusion. It is important to appreciate the differences across cultures. This will be training to benefit the Latinos. Instead of operating in small groups, they will learn how to make the workplace inclusive for different cultures and gender balance. Every Latino employee will have to go through this training, and it will run for six months from the first day of employment (Brislin, 2008).

· Cross-Cultural Communication Training Program

The Latinos should be trained on how to communicate honestly, openly, and respectfully. In the Latino culture, subordinates do not openly communicate with the supervisors, nor do they give their own opinion. Hence, it is important to train them to keep communication channels open for their smooth running. Every Latino employee will have to go through this training, and it will run for six months from the first day of employment (Brislin, 2008).